African American Poetry (1870-1927): A Digital AnthologyMain MenuFull Text Collection: Books Published by African American Poets, 1870-1927Author Profiles: Bios and Full Text CollectionsThe Beginnings of the Harlem Renaissance: Overview and Timeline of Key EventsBlack Poetry Before the Harlem Renaissance: Overview and TimelineAfrican American Poetry: A Story Of MagazinesAfrican American Poetry: Anthologies of the 1920sAreas of Interest: Topics and ThemesAbout This Site: Origins and a Mission StatementFurther Reading / Works CitedAmardeep Singhc185e79df2fca428277052b90841c4aba30044e1
Alice Dunbar Nelson photograph
1media/Alice_Dunbar-Nelson_thumb.png2022-01-21T09:24:14-05:00Amardeep Singhc185e79df2fca428277052b90841c4aba30044e12131Alice Dunbar Nelson photographplain2022-01-21T09:24:14-05:00Amardeep Singhc185e79df2fca428277052b90841c4aba30044e1
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12022-01-14T14:26:31-05:00Alice Dunbar Nelson: Author Page3plain2022-01-21T09:26:29-05:00Alice Dunbar Nelson (1875-1935) was born in New Orleans to mixed heritage; her father (white) was a seaman and her mother (Black) was a seamstress. She published her first book of poems and stories, Violets and Other Tales, in 1895, and shortly thereafter moved to New York City.
She married three times; her first marriage, notably, was to Paul Laurence Dunbar. She met Dunbar first through correspondence, and later moved to Washington, DC, where she married him. Later, she and Dunbar moved to Ohio, where their marriage took a poor turn as Dunbar struggled with alcoholism and tuberculosis. After separating from Dunbar, Nelson moved to Wilmington, Delaware, where she taught at Howard High School. She also continued to be active as a civil rights activist, journalist, and editor throughout the 1910s and 20s.
In addition to her more publicly known activities, after her death, Alice Dunbar-Nelson's letters and diaries revealed she had had close, often erotic relationships with women.
